Just Love To Hate You
by lollipopstick
Summary: Rivalry was what she though they had. Friendship was what she realized. Jealousy was what she believed she'd never feel. Luck, she sure doesn't get any. And what the hell has a stupid friendship band got to do with this?
1. I can't wait

**Author's note**: Hi everyone! Whee :D My first fan fiction. It's not  
that good but it's alright. I spent long, sleepless nights writing  
this story [say 'thanks' to brainy!]...**so**, it **would** mean a** LOT** to me if  
you guys RR. I love lollipops. They taste real good. _Ah..._teehee.

**Disclaimer**: Don't you guys get bored seeing this? Hmm...Oh well. Unfortunately, I don't own FF9. I only own my characters and a jar of lollipops. [ The lollipops are mine! kekeke!]

> **Random quote**: Let's ask the magic shell!! -_spongebob square pants_
> 
> * * *

** Garnet  
**  
I bit the corner of my lips nervously. A shudder ran through my  
body as I took a peek at the rearview mirror. My palms were clammy, my  
usually lustrous auburn brown hair was in a frizzy mess and my cheeks  
were a pale sickly ashy color. In other words, I look dreadfully  
horrid. I broke into a wide grin. My heart was possibly bursting with  
overflowing happiness. I'm not weird! This is all a part of my plan.  
You'd see.  
  
"Hope is not lost." I thought wistfully to myself.  
  
My mother turned to face me. Her eyebrows were raised and she  
looked utterly confused. "What did you say Garnet dear? You lost  
something?"  
  
My cheeks burned hot with embarrassment. Had I actually said my  
thoughts out loud? Oh great. _That_ was a smart thing to do. Lowering my  
gaze to the carpeted floor of the limousine, I mumbled a barely  
audible "Nothing".  
  
"Garnet, dear! You're all flushed. Do you have a fever?"  
inquired my mother frantically, her face ceased with worry. She placed  
her hand on my forehead.  
  
I blinked. "Huh? Fever? I'm not sic-"I stopped myself. Woohoo!  
Wonderful! It's time to launch Plan A! I could probably see my brain  
cells waving their cute little flags in delight. Father had always  
said that I had the potential to be an actress. So, let's put my  
acting skills to good use!  
  
"Oh, mother! My head hurts! Maybe we should head back home. I  
think I'm coming down with a fever," I cried dramatically as I  
clutched my stomach. My mother panicked. "Turn the car around! Turn  
the car around! We are going back home. My Garnet is sick! Turn the  
car around!!!" she screeched.  
  
I smiled contentedly, pleased with myself. My plan had work  
after all! I don't have to go to school and be stuck with that idiot  
for another sickening school term.  
  
"Your Majesty! I, Alderbert Stenier, Captain of the Knights Of  
Pluto have a reason to believe that Princess Garnet is not sick,"  
announced Steiner in unnecessarily loud voice. He was my bodyguard,  
Steiner. I sat on my hands to restrain myself from strangling the poor  
man.  
  
"What do you mean, "not sick"?" questioned my mother, her eyes  
narrowed to slits.  
  
I shot a sharp glare at Steiner, praying that he would keep  
his mouth shut.  
  
Steiner coughed to clear his throat. "Uhm. What I mean is that  
the princess is indeed well. Usually when she is sick, she plans to  
keep the matter secretly to herself instead of ...Uh... displaying a  
show. I think the princess does not want to go school, your majesty. I  
do believe she has a perfectly good reason why."  
  
"_Don't kill the man. Don't kill the man_," I chanted silently.  
  
"Is this true, Garnet? Are you not unwell? You don't want to  
go to school?"  
  
Bwah! Plan A failed. Um...what was Plan B again? I groaned. I  
can't take this anymore! "I'm perfectly fine, mother! What Uncle  
Steiner said is true! I don't want to go to school!"  
  
I caught Steiner's gaze. "Uncle?!" he mouthed wordlessly. I  
flashed him an apologetic smile. "It's that monkey-boy, Zidane! He's  
just so...argh...annoying! You can't imagine what he puts me through!  
Mother, please! I want to go back home!"  
  
There! The truth is out. Strangely, I don't feel any better.  
My mother sighed and brushed my unruly hair turning it into its  
original state. "Darling, I thought you are friends with that boy?  
Remember? You used to invite him to our castle and both of you would  
play and dance and sing and-"  
  
I _knew_ she wouldn't understand. I shook my head in  
exasperation. "Mother! We_ used_ to be friends! "  
  
She ignored me."Every year you come up with a crazy idea that  
would stop me from bringing you to school...Aren't you tired of it?"  
  
"No," I retorted shortly.  
  
Once again, I was ignored. Okay. This is _not_ fun. I don't want  
to play this 'let's ignore each other game'.  
  
"I wonder what happened to your friendship..._Hopefully_, the  
both of you would be the firm of friends by the end of the school  
term," said my mother pensively.  
  
I frowned. Fat hope.  
  
**Zidane  
**  
"Three...two...one...Here she comes," Zidane whispered softly  
to Blank, mischief dancing in his cerulean blue eyes. Blank peered  
over his sunglasses. Zidane was right. A brunette had just entered the  
school building and was now elbowing her way through the crowd.  
  
"She doesn't seem to notice anything," Blank observed.  
  
Zidane shrugged his shoulders. "She was always oblivious to  
her surroundings. She believed that the world is a beautiful place  
filled with cute little bunny wabbits hopping here and there."  
  
"That was until she met you," snickered Blank as he tried to  
keep sight of Garnet.  
  
Zidane's eyes darkened at the comment. "Yeah," he replied  
curtly. "Until she met me."  
  
Garnet's head would pop up frequently amidst the sea of pupils  
as she stood on her toes, straining her neck in search of her friends.  
Her face lit up suddenly. She disappeared again in the crowd and in a  
blink of an eye, she was surrounded by her friends, chatting away  
animatedly with them, completely unaware of the other student's  
snickering.  
  
"How did she do that?" mumbled Blank, running a hand through  
his spiky auburn hair.  
  
Zidane arched his brow. "Huh?"  
  
"How did she disappear and then, magically appear next to her  
friends in just a matter of seconds?? That's just not possible."  
  
Zidane rolled his eyes and diverted his gaze back to Garnet.  
  
"We got her," verified Zidane. He was eyeing at something that  
Beatrix grasped tightly in her hand. Blank followed Zidane's gaze and  
leered. "This is gonna be good."  
  
** Beatrix**  
  
Beatrix shifted uncomfortably under her friends' hard stares.  
  
"Go on.... Show it to her," nudged Julie.  
  
"Easy for you to say," grumbled Beatrix whilst tugging a loose  
strand of her hair nervously. She stole a glance at Mallory and shot  
her a pleading look. Mallory smiled sympathetically at her.  
  
"Stop stalling!" snapped Julie, casting her trademark _'You-  
better-get- your-butt-moving-before-I-kick-your-ass_' look. Mustering  
up her courage, she approached cautiously towards the feared predator.  
Garnet was titling her head side-to-side, furrowing her eyebrows as  
she tried to figure out why her friends were acting so strangely. 

She seemed so harmlessly innocent, but Beatrix knew better. After being  
close friends with Garnet for about 6 years, she found out that this  
adorable girl could turn into a gruesome monster if provoked.  
  
"Beatrix...What's going on?" asked Garnet, her soft hazel  
hues shifting to each of their faces, attempting to read their  
expressions. Beatrix gulped. It's now or ever. Without uttering a  
word, she tossed the paper over to Garnet. A dark and murderous look  
quickly replaced Garnet's confused one.  
  
Beatrix could see steam coming out from Garnet's ears at a  
very alarming rate. _Okay-okay_. She was exaggerating. Garnet's cheeks  
were flushed with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Crumpling the  
paper into a miniature ball, Garnet hissed," Make sure nobody else  
sees them."  
  
"Too late," Julie squeaked, pointing to the copies pasted on  
the walls of their school.  
  
"Cover your ears," whispered Mallory.  
  
Garnet's mouth hung open in disbelief.  
  
"ZZZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDAAAAAAANNNNNNNNEEEEE  
TRIIIIIIBALLLLLLLL!!!" screeched Garnet. Some heads turned to stare,  
but the other pupils just ignored this horrendous scene that was  
waiting to unfold before their eyes. It's a normal everyday routine.  
Chaos was everywhere when Garnet and Zidane are in school.  
  
**Garnet**  
  
"Yes? You called?" replied a breezy masculine voice. I whirled  
around and came face to face with a blonde-haired guy.  
  
"Tribal," I growled icily, placing every ounce of hatred I  
have in me onto that one word. His azure eyes flickered, hinting a  
tinge of sorrow and his grin faltered. Weird. He seemed as though I  
had just ripped his heart out. A chirpy expression abruptly masked his  
face.  
  
"Want a poster? Feel free to take one," smirked Zidane  
brazenly, looking like the typical insensitive jerk. Ripped his heart  
out? Yeah, right. I must be imagining things.  
  
Blank handed me one of the posters. A naked 3-year-old me, was  
sitting in a pool of mud while cradling a stuffed barney toy in my  
hands. I glowered at him. An unexplainable anger rushed through me.  
I've never been this enraged my whole life. He had been playing tricks  
on me ever since we came here and this was my last straw. Zidane  
Tribal may have once been my best friend, but that doesn't excuse him  
from anything!  
  
"You won't get away with this, Tribal. I promise you," I said,  
struggling to maintain my anger.  
  
Zidane's smirk grew broader. He circled me. Leaning closer,  
he whispered breathily into my ear, "I can't wait."

* * *

**So...Was it nice??? Did it sucked?? :D I wanna noe! Review!! [ hums a  
song -dum3 dee deee- ] **

** -lollie**


	2. A piece of moldy cheese

**Author's note**: Ahaaa! Look Koo! I've got reviews!! Woohooo! [_Hugs Koo_]

Koo: ¬.¬ [_takes out knife_] Touch me and I'll put this knife right through your repulsively sickening heart.

--"... [_turns to her reviewers_] Waahhahaha!! [I'm pathetic, I know.] Sniff...sniff I love you guys! :D I'm so, so very sorry that I took so long. [I was banned from using the computer.] Well...Here's da next chappie!!  
  
**Random quote**: Hey, let me touch that red...bonbon lookin' thing on your head...ZZzzz..._ - Baku, sleep-talking  
_  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own Final Fantasy 9.  
  
Chapter 2- A piece of moldy cheese

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**Mallory**  
  
_Cure- Restores over 300 HP for single or multiple targets......Life- Recovers character from KO and restores some HP......Shell- Reduces damage from magic attacks_  
  
**THUMP!**  
  
The redhead flinched at the sound of the thump. Mallory stifled a growl and buried herself under the immense pile of worksheets, hoping to drown out the endless poundings. Taking a deep breath, she told herself to calm down.  
  
_Protect- Reduces damage from physical attacks......Mini- Shrinks and lowers defense and attack power  
_  
** THUMP!  
**  
_Argh! Forget it! I can't concentrate!_  
  
Flinging her purple ballpoint pen to one side, Mal slammed her book shut. How is she ever going to ace her test when her totally selfish and ignorant friend was making such a ruckus?!?!  
  
"Garnettttt! I know you're angry but can you** please** stop hitting the table! I would love to get out of my chair and stab every inch of your body using my pen, **but**, unfortunately, my pen was tossed out of the window and is now probably resting happily on a white blanket of snow. It would take an extreme amount of effort to retrieve it. However, if you still insist on doing that ever-so infuriating thumping of yours, I would have to resort to killing you with my bare hands. And that, trust me Dearie, will not be a pleasant sight."  
  
_That felt good_, thought Mallory cheerily to herself. An involuntary smile of triumph crept to her face as she pondered whether she should do this more often. She rummaged through her drawer, in search of a pen when a pang of guilt hit her. Maybe she should apologize...  
  
Mal turned to look at her russet-eyed friend. She expected to see an annoyed 16-year-old lass glowering heatedly at her. To her utmost surprise, Garnet was sitting on a leather armchair, staring blankly at the huge portrait of their headmistress, which was hung on the dormitory wall. The brunette didn't seem to have heard a word she said.  
  
"Uhm...Garnet?" coughed Mallory, trying to get her attention.  
  
Silence.  
  
Mal frowned. Raising her voice a notch louder, she called out to her possibly deaf friend.  
  
"Garnet!"  
  
Again, silence.  
  
She was going to shout out once more, when all of a sudden, Garnet leapt out of the chair. She bounced around the spacious room, shouting elatedly, "I got it! I got it!" Mal knew that studies came first but she realized that when your friend is acting like she's possessed, that meant that revising for the exams could wait.  
  
Walking steadily to the mentally unstable teen, Mallory noticed a vast number of students with their mouth wide-opened, gawking at Garnet's eccentric behavior. She grabbed Garnet by the wrist, clamped her free hand over Garnet's mouth and dragged the girl up the stairs, to their shared bedroom. Mal closed the door behind and took a seat next to Garnet who was sitting cross-legged on Julie's bed. "Explain yourself," demanded Mal.  
  
Before Garnet could utter even a single word, the wooden oak door flew open. Julie was clutching onto the doorframe, panting, while Beatrix just stood there looking completely bewildered.  
  
"Garnet! Oh my god! Are you okay?! As soon as I heard that you were behaving like a raving lunatic, I rushed to the dorm and witnessed the whole thing! I was like 'Oh my god! Oooh my Goddd!'. That Tantalus played a prank on you again! Am I right? I must be right! They must have drugged you or got you drunk-"  
  
Beatrix kicked Julie's leg in an attempt to shut her up. Bad move. Julie gasped. Clasping her injured leg, she began to shriek shrilly in pain.  
  
Mal squeezed her eyes shut. Although, Juliet was blessed with good looks and wealth, Mallory had never loathed her. Julie was so sweet and generous that Mal couldn't bring herself to hate the blonde. Julie would be the first one to volunteer to help Garnet in her plans to save the koalas. But sometimes, just **sometimes**, Julie would get **way** too annoying. And that sometimes, is now.  
  
"Juliet Peterson! Stop shrieking and for god's sake, keep your mouth shut! Don't talk until you're told to do so! Ah! No buts! Now sit there and behave yourself!" cried Mal, looking dangerously livid. The blonde instantly went silent.  
  
Mallory smiled.  
  
_Peace at last...  
_  
A yell of joy escaped Garnet's mouth. The girl was unable to contain her joy any longer. Her chestnut-brown eyes were filled with excitement. Mallory spotted a flash of slyness amongst the clouds of sheer exhilaration. She wondered what Garnet was up to.  
  
"I've got a plan!"  
  
Beatrix arched a brow. "What plan?"  
  
Mallory massaged her temples. If this was another one of Garnet's plan to save the koalas, she had a feeling that her head would explode.  
  
"A plan to get back at those worthless, good-for-nothing, silly-"  
  
"We get the idea, Garnet. You can stop now," moaned Mal, wearily.  
  
Garnet blinked before she continued. "-absolutely brainless scums of Tantalus," gushed Garnet with extreme determination.  
  
Mallory's ears perked up. Everyone turned to face Garnet. They exchanged thrilled glances and huddled around each other to hear the plan.  
  
Beatrix squealed, delighted and embraced Garnet.  
  
"Am I allowed to speak now?" murmured Julie grumpily.  
  
_ Watch out Tantalus, here we come._

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**Garnet**  
  
A cold gust of wind blew by, caressing my hair. I dug my hands in my pockets, trying to gain warmth. Kicking the heap of snow under the gigantic apple tree, I was hoping to find Mallory's purple pen but only succeeded in tripping myself and falling face-first into the snow.  
  
_Why am I here again? Ah...Yes. How could I forget? Mallory's pen._  
  
I sighed. Why did I have to be so nice? Mallory said it was alright but I insisted on retrieving her pen for her. I clenched my fists. It's been over an hour and the lost pen still hasn't been found!  
  
"Where are you, Mr. Pen?! Please come back! Come back! Come back, you moldy piece of cheese!" I cried, mostly to myself. I strained my ears to pick out any sound given by the pen. I could even imagine it shrieking for help in a shrill, piercing voice. I was desperate!  
  
"I've been called many things in life, but never a moldy piece of cheese," chuckled a soft voice.  
  
I hastily looked up. A tall silver-haired teenager was looming over me. He looked rather amused with a lazy smile traced on his lips. He held out his hand to help me up to my feet. Oh no! He thought I was talking about him! Him? A piece of moldy cheese?! No-no! Never! When I didn't respond, he shifted his feet uncomfortably and placed his hand back at his side. I sat up hurriedly. My face was flushed.  
  
"Oh! No, Mister! You misunderstood! I wasn't talking to you! I was talking to a uh..a..uh..a tree! Yes! Tree! You're much to cute to be a moldy cheese!" I stammered, fiddling with my coat button.  
  
_Oh my god! Much to cute? A tree?! What am I saying?!_  
  
I could have slapped myself.........I did. He flopped down next to me, arching a brow looking puzzled. I must have looked like an idiot. He glanced at the tree.  
  
"It can talk?" he asked.  
  
It was my turn to look confused. "A tree? Talk?"  
  
He shifted his penetrating cerulean-blue gaze back to me. "You said that you were talking to the tree. Remember?"  
  
My cheeks turned a thousand times redder. I choked out a laugh, faced the apple tree and started talking to it casually as though it was the most normal thing to do. He thinks I'm an insane person. Lucky thing that jackass, Zidane isn't here. He would probably be taking pictures and snicker at my stupidity. Whatever happened to our friendship? I grabbed onto the nearest thing within my reach (which was a pebble) and threw it into the frozen lake. The pebble skidded on the icy surface.  
  
A reassuring hand squeezed my shoulders, giving me comfort. It was the boy. He looked worried.  
  
"Are you okay, Garnet?"  
  
I nodded, then, frowned. How did he know my name? I didn't recall telling him that.  
  
He smiled when he saw my perplexed face. "You're popular. Everyone knows your name," he replied. There was truth in his words but his eyes told me that there was something more to it.  
  
"My name's Kuja."  
  
Kuja?....Hmm...What a nice name. It suits him. Mysterious, charming, appealing. I stood up and brushed away the dirt from my coat. I was supposed to be looking for the pen but here I was sitting with Kuja, chatting away merrily. I told Kuja that I had to look for a pen and he offered to help. I stared Kuja. I like that name...Kuja. It has a sort of exotic feel to it. Hmm...Kuja.

* * *

****

**Zidane**  
  
Unknown to the two, a blonde was watching them intently from his bedroom window. Zidane pressed himself against the glass window, struggling not to lose sight of Garnet and Kuja.  
  
_Left...Right...Behind the tree..._  
  
**FLASH!**  
  
"AAAAHHH!"  
  
A brilliant bright light blinded him. Swishing his tail frenetically, Zidane buried his face into his gloved hands. His vision soon cleared and he caught sight of a figure sitting at his side. The figure was shaking him violently, yelling "Are you alright, Ziddy?! Ziddy?!"  
  
"Really, William, I'm just fine. Do shake me harder. I don't mind getting myself killed," retorted Zidane, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
William stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm...That doesn't sound like you. Aha! You must be delusional! Poor Ziddy! Let me shake some sense into you!" With that, the dark-haired boy started shaking him again.  
  
"Stop doing that, you bisexual fre-"  
  
William hurriedly shoved a piece of paper into Zidane's mouth, muffling his voice. His silvery-gray eyes glistened with panic. Grabbing his new camera, (which he named, 'WCF' a.k.a William's camera full-stop) he surged out of the bedroom. Zidane was quite unwilling to have a bisexual roommate at the beginning. But as time passed, Zidane discovered that William is a great friend...**if **you put gay bit aside.  
  
The door creaked open. A pair of frosty gray orbs was staring eagerly at him. "Uhm...Ziddy? Don't tell anyone else okay?" William pleaded in a hushed whisper. The raven-haired's only respond, was a flying paper ball which came zooming towards him. Squeaking in fright, William hastily closed the door.  
  
Zidane peered through the curtains. Garnet and Kuja were gone. They looked so happy together. They would be 'The perfect couple' as some would say. An annoying feeling was tugging his heart. The blonde just wished it would stop. Did it hurt when he saw the two of them together? Frankly, he didn't know. He couldn't describe it. His throat was clogged up and he couldn't breathe. His eyes were watery and his heart wrenched each time he saw Garnet flash a smile at Kuja.  
  
He stared at the ceiling, trying to untangle this intangible quandary. It could be jealousy...or it could just be the cracker he choked on when he saw them. Garnets never smiled at him anymore much less have a decent conversation. Did he miss her? He quickly erased the thoughts from his mind. Zidane didn't want to think about it. He wasn't jealous...Was he?

* * *

**A/N**: Was it short? Lol. I was trying to squeeze in Garnets' revenge somewhere but it juz wouldn't work...So look out for Garnet's revenge on da nxt chappie!Oh yeah! If u've got any good pranks or ideas juz send it to me through email or notify me via your review. :D Dun 4get to review ppl!! 


	3. Revenge is sweet

**A/N**: Bwah...-.- I'm sick. I've got an annoying sore throat and my head's gone all fuzzy...fuzzy...fuzzy woozy...

**Koo**: Boohoo. My heart is bleeding for you. And dun worry. I've settled all your funeral arrangements.

............--" I do apologize if this chapter is rather dreary and dull and boring.

**Koo**: All your chapters are rather dreary and dull and boring.

.........Urm.........(_coff_) Chapter three is here! Maybe, if you guys review the sickness will go away...(_hint-hint_) (_wink-wink_) (_nudge-nudge_) :D

**Koo**: ¬.¬ They get the idea, you moron.

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**Disclaimer**: I do not own this blue pen (which I found in my class :D Aren't I lucky?) and neither do I own FF9!

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**Random Quote**: Liar, liar, pants for hire! –_Patrick, Spongebob Squarepants_

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**Chapter 3- Revenge is sweet**

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**Garnet**

A gust of chilly wind entered the classroom through the small crack in the window. It felt so cool and inviting. All I wanted to do was to rest my head on a pile of fluffy white pillow and get some sleep. I could practically feel the silky texture of the pillow caressing my cheeks, urging me to enter the ethereal world of dreams.

_Aaah...This is good..._

I snuggled close to my textbook and was prepared to doze off when a sharp poke in the ribs jolted me back to reality.

"Wake up, Garnet! You **know **thatyou're not supposed to be sleeping during lessons! And look! Tsk-tsk! You didn't even take down a single thing! **Fortunately**, I've got my notes here and you can take them down in your book later," hassled Mallory disapprovingly.

I groaned loudly, not bothering to hide my aggravation. I guess this is one of the drawbacks of sitting next to the top-student in school. Focusing my attention back to the teacher, I struggled to concentrate. 

"Plants are green things which grow. There are many various species of these green things. Some of these green things have color. Pink, blue, black with orange spots, blahblahblah. Plants can also make food. All of them have this special ability. The air enter through the stomaaa..uh...ta. Yeah..Stomata.."

This is my teacher?! You have GOT to be kidding! 

I raised a brow and scrutinized my herbology teacher, Mr. Green. He was bald, plump and old- very old. He could have easily passed as my great, great, great, great, great grandfather. You get the picture.

"Can someone name me a type of plant from the Faga...ce...ae family?" asked Mr. Green in a monotonous tone.

As usual, Mallory's hand shot straight up into the air. "Quercus agrifolia Née," answered Mal confidently.

I rolled my eyes. I didn't know why she even took the trouble to try. He probably wouldn't notice her anyway. I was right. He just went on rambling senseless stuff.

"Fagaceaaccee...Haha...Ha...I used to have these leaves too. They're called faga..uh...fa...uh...Ferngious. Yes. Ferngious! Useful yet dangerous plants! The wizards of the olden days used the leaves to make philt...phi..philtrum! Yeah...Philtrum."

My eyes widened and I grinned maliciously. Gripping tightly on my pen, I got ready to jot down the wanted information onto my book.

"I still keep it though. It's safely hidden in my drawer at the office, tucked away inside a small wooden box. Nobody knows where it's kept. It's a secret, ya know! Not even you smart-asses can figure out where those leaves are," he declared smugly.

With soft sniggers, I closed my book shut. This was way easier than I thought it would be.

**Beatrix**

The girls were currently engaged in a lethal staring contest with their dear friends, The Tantalus gang. The guys, being the sagacious and wise people they always were; turned this into a blink-and-you-lose competition.

Beatrix massaged her temples. They still ached from staring for such a long period of time. She could use a handful of skittles. She didn't know how they would help but hey, they taste real good. Her eyes twitched slightly. Blank stared at her from behind his dark sunglasses. It wasn't fair! The moron could have been sleeping and she wouldn't even realize it! She sneaked a peek at Garnet. The girl had her jaw locked firmly together and her eyes were narrowed to slits. She was busy glowering at Zidane. Suddenly, a fly came buzzing annoyingly around her.

_Greattt...This is just **great**_

The little insect fluttered from her hair, to her nose and finally settled itself contentedly on her forehead. Since young, Beatrix had been told to swat a fly when you see one cause flies are bad-bad creatures. Hence, without thinking, she raised her hand –**BAM**-, missed and hit her eye. Ow. Yes, let's say it together now, Ow. The brunette gave a shrill shriek."My eye! MY EEYYYYYYEEEE!"

A thundering roar of laughter filled the cafeteria. Over at the Tantalus's table, Blank was doing a mock impersonation of Beatrix and got himself a standing ovation from his spectators. Just as Beatrix thought that it couldn't get any worse, the cafeteria door swung open. Everyone turned to face the door. A stunned silence enveloped the cafeteria.

"I got it!!!!!!!! Loookk!!!" yelped a girl, clasping a small wooden box in her raised arm. The blonde then noticed that everyone was staring rather stupidly at her. Rubbing her clammy palms together, Julie laughed nervously. "It wasn't me! I **swear** I didn't steal Mr.Green's Ferngious leaves, which were hidden in the drawer!! It wasn't me!!"

Beatrix hit her head repeatedly on the table.

_This is just a dream...this is just a dream..._

A mop of brilliant scarlet popped out form behind the doors. It was Mallory and she gestured anxiously at them. Beatrix stood up and pulled Garnet who was still glaring at Zidane, by the collar, towards the exit. As soon as they were back at their dormitory, Julie handed the box over to Garnet. "When will the potion be ready?" inquired Mallory, curious.

A vindictive smile graced Garnet's lips. "Tomorrow."

"Alright!! The boys won't know what hit them!"

"I do feel sorry for them...NOT! Hehe!"

"Ooooooooo! I can't wait!! This is gonna be great!"

Beatrix nodded her head in agreement. "Revenge is sweet, isn't it?"

Mallory gave them a small fuchsia pink tablet. "It's to protect us against the effects of the Philtrum. I read it in a book once." A contented silence settled in and an idiotic smile was plastered on each and every one of the girl's faces as they thought about this so, so very wondrous plan of theirs. It was Julie who broke the silence. Oh, if she only knew of the dreadful consequences she had to suffer because of her reckless comments. But she didn't. No, she didn't. Oh, what a truly sadistic story this is.

"Hey, um, Beatrix?"

"Yes, Julie?"

"Teehee..._giggle_...You hav-Bwahaha..Black-eye..Bwahehehekeke..."

Beatrix frowned. "Whaaatttt?"

"It's your- Hehe...Bwahehe..Your...Teehee...Bwahehehehe- Ow! That hurt! You didn't have to throw the ball at me!"

The brunette shrugged. "You wouldn't stop laughing."

"Hmm...how should I say this..."

"JULIET!!"

"Um...Nice eye?"

**-BAM-**

"OOOOOWWWW! OW! **OW**! MY EYE! BEATRIX! YOU HIT MY EYE!"

"Opps?"

**Juliet**

Friday is an evil day indeed. The birds have stopped their sweet chirpings; the flowers wilt on a horrible day such as this and the warmth from the sun no longer gives us comfort. For on Friday, they have............gym! Gym equals to a grumpy teacher, icky sweaty shirts and pure torture. Julie shook her head. She couldn't understand why her friends adore gym.

"Come **on**, Julie! You're taking forever to get changed! We're gonna be late!" cried an annoyed voice. Beatrix, obviously.

"Excuse **ME**! You were the one who gave me a black eye! Now, I have to apply extra make-up to cover this panda-like eye of mine!"

"I think it's cute!" Garnet quipped in.

_Stupid black- Ah! What? Cute?? Is it really?_

Julie examined her eye closely before adding a few final touches to her eye. With a satisfied smile, the blonde snapped close her compact mirror and slid it in her pocket. Rolling her hair into a tight bun, she stepped out of her cubicle. To her surprise, all her friends had left and on the floor lay a half-filled perfume bottle. A message was attached to it. "For our beloved William." The blonde grinned. She knew exactly what it was for.

"Did you do it?"

"Have you done it?"

"Has he drunk it??"

"Aww...C'mon Julie! Tell us! Tell us!"

Julie placed one hand daintily on her cheek and grinned furtively at them. She then pointed to a particular gray-eyed lad who was standing by an apple tree. She gave them a wink and they broke into fits of giggles. The boy picked up his bottle and drank its contents. Now, all they have to do is sit back and relax.

**William **

William licked his lips. The water tasted sweet. Stroking his chin nonchalantly, he thought aloud, "That's strange...The water is kinda sugary..."

Blank just rolled his eyes. He was used to Will's eccentric ways. "Yeah,yeah Will. We know."

The juvenile swirled around abruptly. His eyes grew huge and wobbly with tears lining his silver hues, threatening to spill out. His chin was jutted out and his lips were quivering. Blank took a step backwards and flashed William a shaky smile. "Urh...hehe...Will? You okay?"

"Okay???!! **OKAY**?! There you are standing before me, lying through your teeth! And you have the **nerve** to ask me if I'm okay?! I know of it, Blank! You need not lie! Oh! What a foolish, **FOOLISH** fool you are Blankie," Will bellowed dramatically, one arm flailing about and the other, pointing accusingly at Blank.

"Hey, Hey! I'm no liar! And don't call me that!" the redhead retorted. Will's melodramatic act had attracted a large audience. They were now watching them. Even the crickets and the birds and the tiny, little butterflies were watching them. Yes. They were indeed being watched. Blank paused for a moment. "What do you know of anyway?"

Will flipped his glossy dark tresses away from his eyes and he dropped to his knees. There in his palm, lay a crushed flower. Its delicate petals were torn apart. With a gentle blow, the petals soared into the sky and flew about in the air. "I know Blank, sweetie...I know of your dreadfully devious relationship with that...that...WOMAN! Why? How?? What did I do wrong, Blankie?! Tell me!! You won't even allow me to call you using your dear old pet name, Blankie! Why??** WHY**?!" wept the boy as he wiped away a fake tear from his eye. The spectators gasped and glared at Blank.

Out of the blue, a deafening scream pierced their ears. Mobs of rabid girls were approaching them at an alarmingly fast rate. They were all holding miniature Will plushies and carrying lavender banners with the words 'WE WANT WILL OR WE WILL KILL!' painted on it. "What's going on?" he mouthed to his friends looking deeply aghast.

Marcus took Will's bottle and sniffed. His ears perked up and his eyes darkened. "Philtrum...It's a love potion. A very strong one I might add."

Zidane arched a brow, clearly impressed. "Wow. You know all that just by sniffing Will's bottle?"

The teen grinned and shook his head. "No! I just read it from that small perfume bottle. 'Philtrum for our beloved Will. A strong love potion.' The girls' work. No doubt about that."

"Will you **please** stop discussing this trivial matter and help me??!!??!!"

The screams were getting louder and so was the thundering of footsteps. The only sensible, reasonable thing he could do was, yup, RUN!!!

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**To my beloved reviewers :D**

**Krissy119**: Wahkz! I am **so **sorry that I couldn't send you kuja's piccie! Snif...Hence, I decided to give you a Kuja plushie! gives an exclusive, cute, miniature silver-haired kuja plushie And it talks too! pulls the string situated at mini-kuja's back _Mr.Mini-Kuja-plushie-thingy_: Oo! Look at me! I talk!

**Addict3d**: Yo0o! You want a mini-brahne plushie? It can sing! (_Addict3d backs away from her_) Pff...I guess not! Urh...Garnet falling for Kuja? Hmm...Well, not exactly. I think its more of an admiration for him...I think...Hehe! Keep reading my fellow friend! :D

**Kiwifroot**: Yeah, I say it was the cracker too! Polly want a cracker! Polly want a cracker! .........Urm...Moving on! :P Thanx for reviewing! It means a lot!

**Sandrilene fa Toren**: Yay! You think William is cool??? Wootz! Me too! :D Lol! Well...Now you know Garnet's plan. Actually...it was only a part of her plan.........but nvm! Hope you liked it! I like your username...It's so classy! What does Sandrilene fa Toren mean aniwae? O.o

**Just me**: Aww Stop it! You're making me blush! (_giggles_) Did I just giggle? No! Wait! It wasn't me! (shifty eyes) It was urh..urm...Oo! Look! Ice cream! Ehehe...(_nervous laughter_)

**Iced-cream**: (_hugs Ellie_) Teehee. William **is** cute, isn't he? Well, yah. Garnet talked to a tree. C'mon, Ellie...**everyone **does that. :P lol

**Robshi**: Elooow! Thanx for your review! You rawk! And so does your story! Hehe! :D

**Quitis-Im**: You really think I should continue? Aww Another flattering review. Thanks! Huggles! :

**Mip the Demon Fox**: Thanks for pointing it out! I didn't realize it until I read your review. Lol. I'll try to be more careful! I promise! Lol. Yeah...It was kinda short wasn't it? Aniwaez, glad you're pleased! :D

**ExtremeM65**: This fic is not (and never will be) a 'kunet' fanfic. But hey... they DO make a cute couple! :D (_nudge-nudge_) .........(_crickets chirp_)......... Alright-alright! (_grumbles_) I was just kidding.

**ChannyChanChan**: Hmmm...I guess Zidane **is **missing Garnet. Lol. :P But he isn't exactly Mr. 'let-me-pour-out-my-feelings-to-you', is he? Lol. :D

**Bubblegummies**: Hiya! Wow...Everyone sure is eager to know what Garnet's plan is. : Thanks for da email! They didn't have classes that day coz they're given da whole day off. You know...To let them settle in. Forgot to add that part in my story. Sorry. Gosh, I feel dumb. :P

**Random guy**: I totally agree with you! Zidane is completely oblivious of his feelings! But he **will** realize his love for Garnet...kekeke...you'll just have to wait.

**Finalaeon77**: Thank youuu! I think my head is gonna grow big and dun,dun,dun...EXPLODE from all this compliments. (_catches people staring weirdly at her_) What?! I'm being realistic here!

**Ashe Tribal**: Oooo! Your reviews just make me so darned happy! (_dances about like a moron_) Whee! :P

**Roxy gal**: You want William? Lol! Wow! I think little Willie has just gotten himself a real live fangirl! Congratulations! You have just been crowned as 'Will's No.1 Fan'! Willy is gonna be lucky to have you! :D

**Excalibur**: Best FFIX story? Nah...Don't think so. (I am secretly enjoying your compliment...though I really dun deserve it :P) (_throws confetti on Excalibur_) But that doesn't keep me from being happy! Hehe! Keep reading kaez!

**Lora**: Bringing out their bizarre and eccentric personalities you mean. Lol. :P You seriously believe that I did a great job doing that? Aww You're too sweet! :D

**Woody3**: Hail Woody! Thank you for the suggestions! It really helped me! :D Woody here was the **ONLY** one who gave me suggestions. I feel so unloved. Wahkz :'( Hehe.

**Vindina**: Revenge is sweet!! Hehe! I'm a sadistic person who just loves butchery! (_everyone edges away from her_) Geez! I was **JOKING**! Lurve your poems! You guys should read them! They're cute!

**Dragon Scales 13**: Aaiiiee! (_hugs dragon scales_) Thank you for your idea!!! Did you know that your da only one who gave me an idea?? (_dramatic gasp_) Yup! You were da **ONLY ONE**! (_frowns at her other readers_) Now dun you all juz feel bad. Tsk-tsk. Lol. :P Kidding. (_turns back to Dragon scales_) Thank you! Seriously! :P I'll make **sure** I'll use your idea! Keep reading!

**Assasin astral**: Elooooow! :D Thanks for the review! (_huggles_) Good luck with your story! I like it!

**Wonwingangel**: Thankies! Aww Shucks! My story doesn't even come close to yours! Yours is amazing! Yeah...It does seem kind of clichéd. - -" But I'm glad you think it's interesting! I appreciate your review!

**Psychedelic** **aya**: lol! Yup! You're not good at making threats! But since you didn't threaten me you get a cookie! (_hands you a cookie_) You think its one of the best FF9 school fics?? Hehe! :D I feel so lurved!

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**A/N**: Shoutout! Shoutout! You all rock my world!!!!!! Seriously!! Muackz!! Hehe! _Quercus agrifolia_ _Née _(oooo...a big word) is a real plant and it really is from the fagaceae family. Yup! I did my research! :D Philtrum is '_love potion_' in latin.

Was it good? (_prays that it was good_) My fren helped me upload it. **Sooo**...What should all of you say to her? ............(_silence_)......... Grr! Fine! Be that way! Its during the winter season, sooo since they're having gym outdoors they're wearing thick clothing. Its common sense. ¬.¬'' Dumb, yah. I know.

Sorry bout the short POVs. There'll be a missing link in the story if I left those POVs out! Sorry! Did you like the love potion thing?? AAH! And please don't kill me if Garnet suddenly seems like she's falling for Kuja! I assure you that this will forever be a ZD ficcie! Review! Remember darlings, I'm sick. Dun kill me. I beg of you.


	4. The Promise

_I. Love. All. Of. You. _

**Koo**: That's a lie.

70+ reviews! This is fantastic! Bravo! Great job! Congratulations! (rambles on in an annoying manner until someone throws a brick at her)

**Koo: **Don't stop! Throw more bricks at her you morons!

Due to some of the readers' requests to add more characters from the original cast of FFIX (Freya, Weimar etc), I've decided to (Taadaah!) include them!

**Koo**: Nooo! She lives!

**I seriously took a long time to update this and I'm sorry! Thus, I'd just like to say a _big_ Thank You to all my reviewers. You guys are the _best_. Well, enough with my rambles, go on, scroll down and read the chapter. **

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_Chapter 4: The Promise_

**Random quote**: For the first time in a long time, everything was right in my world. Then I woke up.

**Disclaimer**: You must be really dense if you haven't figured this out.

* * *

"_Here you go!"_

"…_?"_

"…_You don't like it?"_

"…_What is it?"_

"_A band!"_

"_A band?"_

"_A friendship band!"_

"_Aah…"_

"_You wear it around your wrist."_

"_I know."_

"_I have one too!"_

"…_I know."_

"_And we'll never, ever, **ever** take it off! We'll be friends forever!"_

"…_It's stupid."_

"…"

"…"

"_W-Whaatt!" _

_

* * *

_

A smile was tugging his lips, forming a small curvature arc at the edge of it. It was snowing. Drops of frail ice crystals fell from the sky as the beings below gape, wide-eyed at the beauty of it all.

_Just like that day… Don't you remember, little one?_

Indeed it was beautiful. Stunningly beautiful. But beauty never lasts. It charms and allures but eventually it'll snuff out, just like the amber of a lighted candle, blown out by a small gust of wind. Then, it's…

Gone.

**Falling, falling, falling.**

It'll land on the mantle of silvery-white, its splendour lost, the brilliance of it forgotten.

_Is it not sad little one? Is it not ironic? _

_--_Forgotten.

Once, the object of awe and glory was now left abandoned on the cold, damp ground.

_But everyone forgets something once in a while… And that includes you too, little one._

* * *

An unearthly silence swept the class, or what was left of the class. 

Never! Never in her lifetime of teaching in this school had she ever come across with such appalling behaviour.

Her right brow twitched ever so slightly just like it always did whenever she was pissed. And she every right to be angry for her current class only consisted of the male students which was made up of a cohort of half-asleep pupils, excluding the two at the back who were duelling silently with their battery-operated wands that kept on squeaking every now and then.

She scrutinized the class once again. Then, clamped her hand to her forehead and sighed.

_Garnet Alexandros_ and _Zidane Tribal_: absent.

She, Mrs Hilda Garde, is one sad lady.

A familiar, irksomely bubbly jingle reverberated throughout the walls of their classroom, rudely awaking a few students from their snooze. They groaned, scoffed and rolled their eyes for it was none other than the call for their much-beloved 'Morning announcements.'

* * *

"A **_very_ **good morning to all! It's approximately 8 o'clock in the morning and it's time once again for the morning announcements! Oh! What's that I see outside the window! Could it be? Yes! Snow!" 

"There's no window in this room, moron. And it's been snowing since Tuesday."

"Aw! Don't be a spoilsport, Amarant! Anyways, from today onwards, all students are welcomed to skate at the lake and what's that I hear? A roar of cheers coming from our fellow schoolmates! Yes! Indeed it is!"

"This room is soundproof, idiot."

"Sigh. Can't we have a decent morning announcement for once?"

"Freya's right! Why can't we have a decent morning announcement for once?"

There was a slight pause.

"What's **that** look for?"

"Sigh. It's nothing, Weimar."

"Aha! What's that I smell! Is it? It must be! I smell lies! Deceit! Abhorrence! Jealousy!"

"You have a cold. You can't smell anything."

_Sniff. _

"Amarant! You're mean! I didn't even want to become an announcer! My mother is the one who talked me into this! Sob! Why-"

**Thud**.

Freya's smooth and calm voice slurred through the speakers.

"Thanks for tuning in to the morning announcements."

"It's not like they had a choice."

"_Amaraannt_."

"What?"

"_Sigh_. We have come to an end of the session. Thank you and good day."

* * *

A mop of brilliant gold popped out from behind the double doors. With wary eyes, he scanned the empty hallway in search for any teachers lurking around. Then, he slid out and motioned for the others to follow suit. 

Cocking his head to one side, limbs akimbo, he strolled down the line of pupils making sure that each and every one of them was at hand.

_Present, present, present, check, yep, uh-huh, ah, Kay, here-_

"This. Is. Stupid," inveighed the brunette as she crossed her arms and pouted.

Zidane's pace screeched to a halt and he swivelled to face her, tail slashing about in annoyance.

"My, my. Stupid you say? Well, let me refresh your memory, _sweetheart_. If it wasn't for you and your pathetic clique of friends, we wouldn't have needed to save Will from his crazy fan club, we won't be late for class and most importantly, we won't even be here in the first place!"

"AMAZING! You must be telepathic if you're able to refresh people's mind!" yelped Will.

Toffee hues flashed dangerously with livid anger. Garnet took a step forward and poked the blonde's chest despite his towering height.

"Well, _Tribal_, put that brain of yoursto gooduse. We'd have higher chances of getting caught if we keep stopping just for this incredibly useless attendance taking."

"Caught? AMAZING! The police must be here then!"

His piercing gaze never left her. Clenching his fists by his sides, he closed the gap between them and brought his face down, levelled with her, noses barely touching each other. His voice dropped a notch lower, voice quivering with bottled fury, "Look here, Missy. I suggest that you keep your mouth shut before I do something I'd seriously regret."

Her glower faltered and she shifted uncomfortably under his glare.

"You wouldn't dare."

_Smirk._

"Try me."

An unnecessarily loud cough caused the two protagonists to jump at least a feet a way from each other. Slowly, they turned around. There standing before them was their one and only discipline master, Mr. Baku.

_Oh shit._

"Now, now kids," he beamed pleasantly.

Will blinked and frowned, "Huh? Where? What kids?"

"Stop looking at me as though I'm a big, scary-"

Blank twirled his pencil and was mumbling away to himself. Zidane caught something like, 'Haha. Big. _Mumble, mumble_. Haha. He got **that** part right. _Mumble, mumble_. Haha.'

"-rhino and all of you are my enemy!" he barked before guffawing vociferously. This was soon followed by a series of forced obnoxious laughter coming from the lot of pupils.

"AMAZING! You can read minds, Mr Discipline master, Sir!"

The forced laughter came to an abrupt halt.

The man blinked and arched a brow sceptically, "I can?"

"Yep. My lovely friends here adore calling you that!"

He raised his other brow.

"They do?"

"Yep!"

…

…

…

…

…

"DETENTION!"

…

"Oo! AMAZING! I've never gotten one of those before!"

* * *

Mallory folded the rag neatly and beamed at her finished work. 

_Brilliant._

The trophies shone and gleamed under the light of the display shelves. She stood up and proceeded to the adjoining room, the heels of her shoes clicking against the marble-tiled flooring.

Her face fell.

Zidane sat sulking in a corner, still working on his first trophy.

_Sigh._

"Really, Zidane. You'll get nothing done if you keep going on like this."

Silence.

_Frown._

Probably, ignoring her.

Tugging the keys out of her school skirt, she placed it into the lock, slid open the glass cabinet and took out one of the trophies showcased there. From the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of a strand of silver with a ring of brightly colored strings.

"What's that?" she inquired, peering at his necklace.

"Huh? What? Oh! It's…it's…it's nothing!"

* * *

A snowflake veered about the sky and plummeted down to the tip of her snub nose. 

"Argh! This is torture!" she cried and tossed her shovel aside. The temperature had dipped from –1 to a startling –12 degrees Celsius and she was probably freezing to death.

She was about to storm of in huff to the school café, which was just adjacent to her when she caught sight of the raven-haired boy, head bobbing up and down as he hummed a soft hymn.

"Fancy a rest, William?'"

The bisexual lad looked up to face her and shook his head, smiling broadly.

"Nope. You go on ahead, Garnet."

Orbs of brown shifted from the café to Will, to and fro, back and forth. With a final sigh, she picked up her shovel and lumbered towards William, working alongside with him.

"Do you adore working, William?"

He wiped a bead of sweat that was trickling down his cheek, "Depends."

A frown etched her lips as she dug up a huge heap of snow and dumped it onto the ever-increasing pile next to her.

"Well, do you like shovelling snow then?"

He plunged his shovel into the snow and leaned against it, taking a short break from his work or more commonly known as detention, either way it doesn't matter.

"Sometimes you just have to do something you don't like."

She mimicked his actions and was about to ask him something when he cut her short.

"Are you still angry with Zidane?"

* * *

With that, he tucked it away into his shirt. She grinned. She knew what it was. 

"That's a friendship band. I read a book about those. One exchanges it with another companion as a symbol of love and amity."

He held the trophy high in the air, searching for any smudges, making sure that it was spotless.

"Hmm."

"So…who gave it to you?"

* * *

"_Weehee! You're the best, Zidane!"_

"_Hnn… Get off me. You're heavy."_

"_W-Whaatt!"_

* * *

A palm waved frantically in front of him 

"Are you alright?"

Zidane scowled and shook his head vigorously.

"I'm fine."

* * *

Garnet blinked. 

_That was certainly unexpected._

Will stared at her from the corner of his eyes.

"So are you? Still angry at Zidane that is."

Biting the lower half of her lips, she hesitated then replied, "Yes…I think."

William furrowed his brows, eyeing her as though she just uttered a string of profanities at him.

"You _think_ you're angry with him?"

"Well, yes! He comes to me friendly and all, then in less than a year he acts as though he completely abhors me! What did **I** ever do to him?"she questioned,flustered, arms flailing about in frustration.

Will tilted his head vaguely to the right and smiled gently, "Maybe its not something you did."

Perplexity clouded her eyes.

"What are you getting at?"

He shrugged and walked away from her, carrying the two shovels and ambled towards the café.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 4! Will was sounded rather matured at the end, yes? Well, really, you can't expect him to be an idiot all the time! And Ziddy's all moody, isn't he? **

**For those of you who have no whatsoever clue as to who the heck Weimar is, this is especially for you. As you know, Steiner is the Captain of the Pluto Knights. Well, Weimar happens to be one of the Pluto knights. Yup, he is.**

**Hmm…I wonder who can guess which character was narrating the 2nd paragraph, right after the flashbacks. You guys know the drill, review! **

_TBC_


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